Delicious Delacacies

Yesterday brought us the Winter Solstice, with Christmas now only days away...

Something about this season of the year carries with it our own individual morsels of faith that have been engrained in us all along our journey.

Faith, being it in our own self, those we care about or work with, or a spiritual or religious belief, can renew us and give us the fuel to pull forward with the inner light it brings to us.

The power and importance of our individual faith combined with the collective faith of others brings us heartfelt knowledge without always needing the black and white of proven theory. In fact it’s the black and white theory that can throw our faith into a tailspin.

Take the belief in Santa Claus. Some can and do say bah humbug. I know for me, as long as I believed and my children believed it brought a real and true magic like no other. And the gift of that magic was more meaningful than the actual gifts themselves from the guy with the white beard.

There are a number of people I know that have lost loved ones in this past year or will not have a beloved family member with them because of miles between them. The result is that this season feels extremely bittersweet for them.

Having had those Christmas’s after losing my parents, which quickly coincided with my grown children not being able to make it home one year or the next, made me want to ignore those Christmas’s all together.

Yes, I know all to well at this point of my life how the deep heartstrings of the holiday can easily and quickly turn from magic and joy to pain and regret remembering the joys of holidays gone by.

It all seems to be a part of gathering a deeper faith and coming back around to the important elements that remain with change and the onward road of our lives we travel on.

I am extremely grateful this year because this holiday season gives me the gift of my grown children being here with us. Together over the recent days we have been cooking up a storm and finding our passion for discovering wonderful nutritious foods that Bailey, Travis, Ed and I have been whipping up as well as the delicious delicacies of the season.

There is just something about good food when combined with those we love that make our time together so rich and meaningful. It reminds me to always be grateful and to be in the moment of what I have right now today.

Faith brings with it a belief that life is always exactly what we make it and that this is not a dress rehearsal, it’s the real deal every day. Yes of course I know that there will be Christmas’s in my future when those I love the most wont be there to share in the joy of the season - and I will have to fill my cup with other ways to make my heart sing.

For now I will feel the joy... how about you? Would love to know where you stand with the season. Share it over on the blog.

As you head into the week ahead - whether Christmas is part of your belief system or not, I wish you love for those that you spend time with and look at the days ahead of filling your heart and your bellies so that your faith can carry you towards the possibilities ahead.